The Texas Conservation and Sustainability Initiative, a Texas A&M AgriLife-led program, is open to farmers, ranchers and small forest landowners. It offers direct payments for implementing or continuing proven soil health and water management practices.

Payments to adopt select conservation practices range from $30 per acre to more than $1,500 per acre, depending on the practice.

For many producers, this means getting paid to try something new or getting paid for what they’re already doing.

“This is about reducing risk for producers,” said Jason Vogel, Texas A&M AgriLife Research project manager, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. “If you want to try a new practice, there’s funding to help. If you’re already doing it, there’s funding to reward that too.”

What producers can get paid for

Highlighted row‑crop incentives include:

• Cover crops — $80 per acre.
• Reduced tillage — $30 per acre.
• No‑till — $30 per acre.
• Soil carbon amendments, e.g., biochar — $275–$1,500 per acre.
• Nutrient management, slow‑release manure per compost — $275 per acre.
• Conservation crop rotation — $30 per acre.
• Irrigation water management for rice — $150–$300 per acre.

Why producers are signing up

The practices included are good for both the land and producers’ bottom line, Vogel said.

Benefits can include:

• Lower labor and fuel costs.
• Reduced weed pressure.
• Natural fertilizer from decomposing residues.
• Improved pest suppression.
• Higher yields over time.
• Better water retention and reduced compaction.
• Cooler soil temperatures during extreme heat.

In short: healthier soil, healthier crops, healthier margins.

Texas row crop and vegetable producers looking to improve soil health and boost long-term profitability have access to a new round of financial incentives through the Texas Conservation and Sustainability Initiative, a Texas A&M AgriLife-led program. (Hannah Harrison, Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)

What personalized support includes

Producers don’t have to navigate the process alone, Vogel said.

Participants will receive:

• A customized conservation plan.
• Technical assistance from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
• On‑farm support from Texas A&M AgriLife ambassadors.
• Soil testing and practice‑specific guidance.

“Whether you’re new to regenerative practices or fine‑tuning what you already do, the program provides both the dollars and the expertise to make it work,” Vogel said.

About the initiative

The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is led by AgriLife Research scientists Julie Howe, Ph.D., soil chemistry and fertility professor and associate department head, and Nithya Rajan, Ph.D., agronomy and agroecology professor and director of the Hood Family Center for Greenhouse Gas Management in Agriculture and Forestry, both in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.